The Dream
by Genim Stilinski
Summary: Trip, still saddend by the loss of his sister, confides in the captain.
1. Chapter 1

The Dream

Note: This story takes place shortly after the end of Season 3

Prologue

Blinding light filled the stark white room. He looked around, no one was there. The nothingness went on forever, it seemed. He ran. He ran as fast as his weary legs would carry him. He went no were. He could do nothing.

Chapter 1

Trip shot out of bed, awaking from the worst dream of his life. There were no frightening aliens after him, not a single one. He did not walk around, wondering why the people were laughing only to discover that he had forgotten his pants when he left his quarters. He felt no pain. There were none of the bad memories of his childhood, the ones he never mentioned to anyone. The thing Trip feared was a constant in his life already. He was alone.

Though he was on a ship with another hundred or so of Starfleet's finest, he still felt it wherever he went. Sure, Trip had friends. Malcolm always sat with him at every meal (when neither of them were dining with the captain), and on occasion, went with him to movie night. The captain was there for him whenever Trip needed him, and they always made time to watch water polo and drink beer together. He was such a fine gentleman that most of the crew had some sort of affection for him. Physically, he wasn't alone, but emotionally, he was light-years away.

No one else on the crew had lost what he had in such a short amount of time. The Xindi had taken his home and his sister in one foul swoop. It had been months since it happened, and they had stopped the destruction of Earth, but Trip still couldn't move on. The façade he so carefully built around himself was beginning to crumble. His inner torment was spilling out into his life. He couldn't talk to anyone without becoming agitated. He couldn't see how everyone else moved on so quickly. They left him in the dust…the rubble of broken days past.

Trip got up and got ready for the day ahead. The impulse manifolds needed to be purged, he remembered. _Oh, Joy, _He thought, _the impulse manifolds. How exciting. _He also was to have breakfast with Cap'n Archer in ten minutes. He splashed water in his face and began to fix his hair. It was only when he leaned in to the mirror to flatten a few spikes that he noticed how tired he looked. _Damn, _Trip leaned in further; _I've got circles under m'eyes and ev'rything. _Trip turned away and went to put on his uniform. It was sure to be a long day.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The door to the captain's mess slid open with a swoosh sound and Trip stepped in. The doors closed behind him, as he took his seat across from the Captain. He noticed that Archer looked particularly cheerful this morning. It wasn't his usual optimistic appearance, but seemingly more.

"Good Morning, Trip." The Captain stated after a Trip had sat down.

"If you say so, Cap'n." Trip replied in a near mumble. He wasn't usually this short with Archer, but he was already having a particularly bad day. He was sulking. It was a practice he usually reserved for tragic events, and even then, he hesitated to show it, but today was different.

"What's on your mind," Archer said in a less chipper tone, as to say instead _I am listening, what's wrong? _He waited for the response, which he knew would be less than accurate. It seemed to him like one of the days where he would have to do a bit of digging before reaching what was _really_ bugging his best friend. Trip was just like that. He felt bad if he thought his bad mood was making others feel bad as well. Of course, this was a rare occurrence, seeing as he usually had the can-do attitude, but it was known to happen.

"Nothin', just not feelin' well." Trip stated after a great pause, not entirely certain how to say it without coming across as complaining.

"What kind of not feeling well?" Archer asked, "Do you need to see Dr. Phlox?" He knew full well that it wasn't the case, but he knew he had to say certain things to get down to the bottom of whatever was bothering Trip.

"Nah, it's not that kinda not feelin' well." Trip replied. "It was just a bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"What was it about?"

"Can we just drop it?"

"If my chief engineer is not in the right mindset to be on duty, I want to know about it." Captain Archer knew by the expression on his best friend's face that those weren't exactly the best words to have used.

"I'll be fine. It was just a dream." Trip sighed, practically attacking his scrambled eggs. Archer stared, knowing that it was something more.

"Tell me," Archer pressed. "Please." Trip looked down and set down his fork.

"Okay" Trip resigned.


	3. Chapter 3

Trip, unaccustomed as he was to opening up about anything this personal, struggled to find the words to say. He placed his fork down on the cold, metal table, rose, and stood at the window to stare into the stars.

"Take your time," Archer beckoned, "it's okay."

"I was alone," Trip started uneasily, still gathering his thoughts. "Ah was in the white room. It went on forev'r, and no matter how far ah ran, ah got nowhere." His accent thickened with his distress. "It was blind'n brightness, and empty, and ah was all alone."

Jonathan Archer watched his best friend, who ordinarily was composed and collected on his worst days, break down to tears. He placed his head in his hands and wept.

Suddenly, warm hands slid themselves around Trip and wrapped him into a backwards embrace. He turned around, removing his hands from his face and putting them gently around his best friend. He knew that Jon was never good with these sorts of things, but could always be a good shoulder to cry on.

The End


End file.
